Buying Tickets online

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Hey everyone!
I'm looking to buy some tickets to the Patriots/Redskins game in October and wondered what opinions people had about online brokers. I found some tickets on Jumbotickets.com that seem descent. Is it safe to buy from these types of places? The last thing I want is to show up at the game after dropping money on tickets, airfare and hotel and find out they are bogus.

Hey everyone!
I'm looking to buy some tickets to the Patriots/Redskins game in October and wondered what opinions people had about online brokers. I found some tickets on Jumbotickets.com that seem descent. Is it safe to buy from these types of places? The last thing I want is to show up at the game after dropping money on tickets, airfare and hotel and find out they are bogus.

Click to expand...

I've had good luck at StubHub. ..but never used them for tix at NE. Last week, bought tickets through them and picked them up at their own window in Tampa for the thrilling Bucs/Rams blowout. I've found it is better to wait till the last minute and often times the prices crash. But make sure that their will be enough delivery time if no onsite ticket pickup.

I have a friend who buys a decent amount of tix - aftermarket - for all Boston teams to give away to his customers. He wants to buy mine, but I would never think of selling them, even for face as I would worry about someone misbehaving in my seats...hell, I don't even give any extra's away to anyone but my own family and they are warned to be on their best behavior!!

With Ebay, be certain the seller has excellent feedback and is local.
I asked him about this and he told me to try to stay with hard tickets as opposed to the Ticketmaster "E" tickets. The only way hard tickets will cause a problem is if they have been stolen and reported stolen. "E" tickets can be printed out multiple times and the first person to enter the stadium will be the only one to get in as once used, the barcode is then voided. That actually happened to this guy and it was embarrassing to say the least. he had bought tix through Stub Hub and the customers he had given them too called him to say they were denied!!. Luckily, they were able to buy some just before kick off from some that were released. He said Stub Hub gave him a refund but he damn near lost a big account!!

Stub Hub tends to be priced very high and there is a little war between the Patriots & Stub Hub going on, so he says to shop around and maybe avoid them totally.

Consider going 100% above board by doing the Tailgate experience of Fred Smerlas - Twin River tailgate or something like that. It is pricey ($625) but it's an awesome all you can eat 3 hour pre game and a nice 2 hour post game, with a ticket in lower bowl or 200's.

Also, look into auctions from WEEI or even the NFL.

The popularity of Pats tickets simply amazes me as I still recall, not too long ago, that at most 23,000 would attend a Pats game on any given Sunday!! No lines coming in, no bathroom delays (even in those horrible and inadequate rest rooms) and no traffic leaving at all. There used to be two kinds of football, football the way the Pats played (weird and unlike anything else in the NFL) and the way games were played everywhere else...normal football, real football, not football twilight zone style.

I have a friend who buys a decent amount of tix - aftermarket - for all Boston teams to give away to his customers. He wants to buy mine, but I would never think of selling them, even for face as I would worry about someone misbehaving in my seats...hell, I don't even give any extra's away to anyone but my own family and they are warned to be on their best behavior!!

With Ebay, be certain the seller has excellent feedback and is local.
I asked him about this and he told me to try to stay with hard tickets as opposed to the Ticketmaster "E" tickets. The only way hard tickets will cause a problem is if they have been stolen and reported stolen. "E" tickets can be printed out multiple times and the first person to enter the stadium will be the only one to get in as once used, the barcode is then voided. That actually happened to this guy and it was embarrassing to say the least. he had bought tix through Stub Hub and the customers he had given them too called him to say they were denied!!. Luckily, they were able to buy some just before kick off from some that were released. He said Stub Hub gave him a refund but he damn near lost a big account!!

Stub Hub tends to be priced very high and there is a little war between the Patriots & Stub Hub going on, so he says to shop around and maybe avoid them totally.

Consider going 100% above board by doing the Tailgate experience of Fred Smerlas - Twin River tailgate or something like that. It is pricey ($625) but it's an awesome all you can eat 3 hour pre game and a nice 2 hour post game, with a ticket in lower bowl or 200's.

Also, look into auctions from WEEI or even the NFL.

The popularity of Pats tickets simply amazes me as I still recall, not too long ago, that at most 23,000 would attend a Pats game on any given Sunday!! No lines coming in, no bathroom delays (even in those horrible and inadequate rest rooms) and no traffic leaving at all. There used to be two kinds of football, football the way the Pats played (weird and unlike anything else in the NFL) and the way games were played everywhere else...normal football, real football, not football twilight zone style.

Hey everyone!
I'm looking to buy some tickets to the Patriots/Redskins game in October and wondered what opinions people had about online brokers. I found some tickets on Jumbotickets.com that seem descent. Is it safe to buy from these types of places? The last thing I want is to show up at the game after dropping money on tickets, airfare and hotel and find out they are bogus.

Click to expand...

I always give the same advice: Use eBay..!! Here are some tips:

1) Obviously, only go with those with good feedback. If they have any negative feedback, research exactly what the problem was. Any eBayer selling counterfeit tickets will have that show on their feedback.

2) Only pay for a transaction using PayPal. This way you can file a grievance if it goes wrong.

3) Don't get into bidding wars. Just do "Buy It Now" transactions. (Some will disagree with this suggestion and claim there are great deals to be had by bidding auction style, but I hate doing that - plus there is usually a long wait).

4) The earlier you buy your tickets, the better.

5) Feel free to contact the seller and negotiate. What's the worst he can do..? Say no...?

6) Only purchase hard tickets that are physically mailed to you. Do not accept electronic tickets.

I'm new to the forums, but have been attending Pats games for the last 5+ years (pretty much every home game, some away)...figured I'd add my 2 cents

EBAY is definitely the way to go, but wait til a few days before the game, the prices usually fall a good 50% on wednesday/thursday, assuming the game is on a sunday. If you look for pats/browns tickets now, for example, people are charging $400-$500 for upper level corner seats, which is insane. If you look on thursday or friday, those same seats will be down around $225 a pair...on saturday, probably around $175. I would ALWAYS wait, if possible, until a couple of days before the game. As a point of comparison, my fiancee and I went to the chargers game...had great seats (mezzanine section, 3rd row, closest section to the club seats) and paid $300, which is reasonable for such a highly anticipated match up - we bought our tickets (e-tickets) friday evening. Those same seats/section was going for upwards of $300 a piece on stubhub/other online sites..

While most people seem to disagree, I think e-tickets are great, and I've never had a problem with them (and my pats tickets are almost always e-tickets...i've also been to lots of concerts using these)...just use common sense and discretion when purchasing. A powerseller with feedback of 99% or better will not risk their reputation by scamming people. Also, if you find a seller with good seats/prices every week, stick with them! I've gotten e-tickets for the jets,chargers, and bills game from the same seller every week..all and fairly reasonable prices (25-40% over face). E-tickets are usually cheaper, and they allow you to buy tickets at the last minute (and thus save lots of $$) as there's no shipping/etc.

...and finally, craiglist -- though prices are usually pretty nuts on there until a night or two before the game. Right now pats/browns are going for like $125-$150 a piece for SRO's. It's nuts...usually the night before, however, you'll get a good deal.

and I'm done rambling, just thought I'd share some tips. I'm a college student so I've had to be fairly resourceful in order to find affordable tickets. Ebay is definitely you're best bet, just wait until a couple of days before the game and make sure to buy from a reputable seller.